Faith in Jesus Christ is our response to God's elective purpose in our life. These two truths–God's initiative and man's response–co-exist throughout the Bible. The gospel is "the message of truth" because truth is its predominant characteristic. Salvation was conceived by the God of truth (Ps. 31:5); purchased by the Son, who is the truth (John 14:6); and is applied by the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). To know it is to know the truth that sets men free (John 8:32). Believers are people of the truth (John 18:37), who worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and who obey the Word of truth (John 17:17). People have rejected, neglected, redefined, and opposed God’s truth for centuries. Some cynically deny that truth even exists or that it can be known by men (John 18:38). Others foolishly think that denying truth will somehow make it go away. Truth determines the validity of one's belief. Believing a lie doesn't make it true. Conversely, failing to believe the truth doesn't make it a lie. The gospel is true because Jesus is true, not simply because Christians believe in Him. His resurrection proved the truth of His claims and constitutes the objective basis of our faith (Rom. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:3). Truth is our protection and strength (Eph. 6:14). Throughout history, people have tried everything imaginable to gain favor with God. Most turn to religion, but religion apart from Christ is merely a satanic counterfeit of the truth. At the heart of every false religion is the notion that man can come to God by any means he chooses–by meditating, doing good deeds, and so on. But Scripture says, "There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). That name is Jesus Christ, and we come to Him by confessing and repenting of our sin, trusting in His atoning death on the cross, and affirming His bodily resurrection from the grave (cf. Rom. 10:9-10). There is no other way to God. False religious leaders and teachers talk much about God’s love, but not His wrath and holiness; much about how deprived of good things people are, but not about their depravity; much about God’s universal fatherhood toward everyone, but not much about his unique fatherhood toward all who believe in His Son; much about what God wants to give to us, but nothing about the necessity of obedience to Him; much about health and happiness, but nothing about holiness and sacrifice. Their message is full of gaps, the greatest of which leaves out a biblical worldview of the saving gospel and replaces it with the worldview of postmodernism with its dominant ethical system of relativism. The Bible describes mankind in the end times: “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). Spiritual answers cannot be deduced by human reason alone (1 Cor. 2:14). It’s not that spiritual truth is irrational or illogical, but that human wisdom is defective, because it’s tainted by man’s sinfulness, and unable to perceive the things of God. That is why the Bible is so important. It gives us the answers we can’t find on our own. It is God’s Word to mankind. Scripture is divinely revealed truth that fills the vacuum of spiritual ignorance in all of us. Post-truth is the word of the year for 2016 and also the philosophy of the day, According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. In a “post-truth” world, people make choices based on emotion and experience rather than objective fact. So in a post-truth world, truth is irrelevant. What exactly is a post-truth culture? It’s a culture where truth is no longer an objective reality. It has become subjective. It’s what’s true for me—my beliefs, my opinions, determine my truth. So in our post-truth culture, man determines truth. Man makes himself the ultimate authority. This starting point, which rejects God’s Word and the idea of moral absolutes, makes truth subjective. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Christianity is grounded in objective truth. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Objective truth exists because we have God’s Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Thy word is truth” (John 17:17), and Paul and James describe the Bible as “the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15; James 1:18). The Psalmist says, “The entirety of your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160). Jesus Himself said, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). When Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6), He wasn’t expressing His personal belief or opinion. He was speaking the truth, a fundamental reality that doesn’t change from person to person. It doesn’t matter if our culture thinks all roads lead to God. The truth of the matter is “no one comes to the Father but by [Jesus].” This blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell

Theology: God (THE FEAR OF THE LORD)

2. How can we learn to fear Him more, and fear Him in the proper sense?

3. How can we teach the fear of the Lord to children? To adults?

Definition: Most agree that it is a reverential fear — reverence — awe. The fear for life or pain is not involved generally. It is holding God with much respect. Jeremiah put it this way,

“Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? For to thee doth it appertain, forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.” Jeremiah 10:6,7

God is to be loved. Our earthly fathers were to be feared when we were in error, however when there was no error we respected them highly and enjoyed their love.

Natural man has no fear of the Lord. You can see this in many ways in our society, the television and the screen for example. They don’t care what they show or say about God. Indeed, they teach explicitly against the things of the Lord.

The printed page also pictures man’s lack of fear for God — the way they treat the Lord’s people — their rejection of God and His Word.

Many believers do not fear the Lord. You can see this in our society — the empty churches — especially on prayer meeting nights. In the lack of commitment to giving as they ought. In the needs of the missionaries. In the life style that many Christians live.

THE FACTS

1. Believers are to fear the Lord.

a. Leviticus 19:14,

“Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God I am the Lord.”

Can you imagine the lowness of a person that would trip a blind person?

b. Deuteronomy 8:6,

“Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.”

They should fear the Lord in relation to the judgment that they face before Him. 2 Corinthians 5:10-11

2. The fear of the Lord is a very necessary part of our mental maturing process if we are to be men and women of God.

Proverbs 9:10

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

This is reiterated in Psalm 111:10 also. Notice that if we fear the Lord we are only BEGINNING in wisdom.

3. What is the fear of the Lord? Proverbs 1:7

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Notice that if we fear the Lord we are only BEGINNING in knowledge. We just saw that the fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom and

now we see that it is the beginning of knowledge. It would seem

appropriate for the student to begin to fear the Lord. The obvious truth that comes forth is that if you don’t fear the Lord, then you are neither wise nor knowledgeable. Is that something that you want to admit to?

Proverbs 1:29 mentions that we may choose not to fear the Lord, and hate knowledge — indeed it seems that if you hate knowledge you may opt for not fearing the Lord. “Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.”

Proverbs 2:1-6

“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”

Here are some items to notice in relation to understanding the fear of the Lord.

Vs. 1 Receive the words of the writer. Hide his commandments with yourself.

Vs. 2 Listen to wisdom. Apply understanding to your heart.

Vs. 3 Cry after knowledge. Lift up your voice for understanding. (Ask for it I would assume.)

Vs. 4 Seek after wisdom as you would seek silver. Most today are totally into seeking gain — we should seek wisdom with such fervor. Seek after wisdom as if you were looking for hidden treasure. Have you ever watched one of those treasure search shows where they have gone looking for the lost treasure on a sunken ship in the far reaches of the world? They spend literally thousands of dollars searching for this treasure.

I saw a special concerning a supposed treasure buried in this country. There are several people that think they know where it is buried. They are digging deep holes in people’s lawns and pastures trying to locate this treasure. They think that the next hole is the place. Their entire being is taken up with this search.

God tells us to search for wisdom in this same manner. WOW. The neat part is that in verse six it says that God is the source of that wisdom and HE GIVES IT.

Vs. 5 Then You Will Understand The Fear Of The Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Vs. 6 “For The Lord Giveth Wisdom; Out Of His Mouth Cometh Knowledge And Understanding.”

It seems quite evident that to fear the Lord is a very wise thing to do.

SIDE BENEFITS TO THE FEAR OF THE LORD

1. We should hate evil. Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth, do I hate.”

I made a comment in my college Genesis class once concerning the Homosexual community of San Francisco, CA. One of the students reacted in total disgust. His remedy was not acceptable, for he wanted to drop a bomb on the city, but his disgust for the sin was Right On.

Psalm 15:4 tells us to see vile as vile and not as acceptable. Hate Evil not watch it on TV. Hate Evil not participate in it. Hate Evil not help it along by condoning it. Hate Evil not teach or preach in a manner that would allow people to think it all right.

2. We can overcome evil in our lives by fearing the Lord. Proverbs 16:6

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged;

and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.”

3. We can be kept from evil by fearing the Lord. Proverbs 19:23 “…he shall not be visited with evil.”

4. We can have a satisfied life. Proverbs 19:23

“The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he who hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.”

Proverbs 14:27

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”

5. The fear of the Lord is the cure for envying sinners. Proverbs 23:17

“Let not thine heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”

All the day long is quite a purposeful statement as well.

6. When linked with humility the promise is: Riches, honor, and life. Proverbs 22:4 “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.

7. It should give rise to praise and glorifying of The Lord. Psalm 22:23,

“Ye who fear the Lord, praise him; all ye, the seed of Jacob, glorify him….”

8. We will be watched over by God if we fear Him. Psalm 33:18, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him….”

9 We will have no needs if we fear Him. Psalm 34:9, “Oh, fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there is no lack to them that fear him.”

10. We will be blessed if we fear Him. Psalm 115:13, “He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.”

11. There is a lengthening of days for those that fear the Lord. Proverbs 10:27, “The fear of the Lord prolongeth days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”

12. The woman that fears the Lord will be praised. Proverbs 31:30,

“Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”

13. His mercy will be toward us. Psalm 103:11,

“For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”

There are cases where man should just plain out and out fear the Lord. If the person is unsaved he should be in fear of his eternal soul. Luke 12:4,5

“And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”

The Believer Can Fear The Lord Or — Fear Man.

The Believer Can Fear The Lord Or — Fear Circumstances. The Believer Can Fear The Lord Or — Fear The Devil.

God is our light, salvation and strength according to Psalm 27:1, thus why would we fear anything outside of Him?

The believer has due cause for concern if he is living in continued sin. Hebrews 12 mentions that the Lord will chasten if there is a need. This chastening can and does at extreme times go unto death. Acts five mentions the Ananias and Saphira sin unto death.

CONCLUSIONS

1. The fear of the Lord should bring us to fearlessness. The fear of the Lord should bring us to righteousness. The fear of the Lord should bring us to service. The fear of the Lord should bring us to a proper love for Him. The fear of the Lord should bring us to God in every way that He desires us to come to Him.

2. 2 Corinthians 7:1 mentions,

“Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

“Perfecting Holiness.”

And to the above we might well add Psalm 86:11, “Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name.”

And one more from Deuteronomy 10:12, “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,”

I would like to mention a quote from A.W. Tozer’s “The Knowledge Of The Holy” pp 121-122. Take time to read it if you have the volume available to you.

I trust that you will not stop with this study of God but continue to “Acquaint Thyself With They God.”

This concludes our study of the Person of God. I trust that now that you have the knowledge, that if you haven’t already done so, you will get to KNOW your God.[1]